U23 World Wrestling Championships 2026: First Freestyle Champions Crowned as Armenia Wins Bronze

On October 18, the first freestyle wrestling world champions of the 2026 U23 World Championships were crowned in Las Vegas, USA. Medals were awarded in five weight categories — 61, 74, 86, 92, and 125 kg. Russia and Iran each claimed two gold medals, while the United States secured the remaining title.

The Russian team finished the medal session with two gold medals and one silver. Magomed Baytukaev (74 kg) and Arsen Balayan (86 kg) became world champions, while Arslan Bagaev (92 kg) narrowly missed out on gold.

Armenia also opened its freestyle wrestling medal account as Sargis Begoyan (61 kg) claimed bronze, defeating Uzbekistan's Bekhruzbek Turanmuratov 14-9 in the bronze medal match.

Earlier, Begoyan had reached the semifinals, where he suffered a narrow 8-10 defeat against Kyrgyzstan's Yukhan Doktur bek Uulu. The Armenian wrestler recorded three victories during the tournament.

Results of the First U23 Freestyle Wrestling Finals

61 kg

American wrestler Benjamin Davino became world champion after defeating Kyrgyzstan's Yukhan Doktur bek Uulu 4-1 in the final.

1. Benjamin Davino (USA)

2. Yukhan Doktur bek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)

3. Ebrahim Khari (Iran) and Sargis Begoyan (Armenia)

In the bronze medal matches, Khari dominated Romania's Gabriel Weissenhant 12-0, while Begoyan defeated Turanmuratov 14-9.

74 kg

Russia's Magomed Baytukaev captured the gold medal with a 5-3 victory over American Jayden James in the final.

1. Magomed Baytukaev (Russia)

2. Jayden James (USA)

3. Toki Ogawa (Japan) and Ali Karampour (Iran)

In the bronze medal matches, Ogawa defeated Italy's Raul Caso 5-0, while Karampour secured a 10-0 technical superiority victory over Moldova's Ion Marchu.

86 kg

Arsen Balayan, representing Russia, became the U23 world champion after defeating Turkish wrestler Ahmet Yagan 3-0 in the final.

1. Arsen Balayan (Russia)

2. Ahmet Yagan (Turkey)

3. Reza Afshar (Iran) and Batbilguun Naadambat (Mongolia)

In the bronze medal bouts, Afshar defeated Moldova's Evgeny Mikhalchin 6-0, while Naadambat overcame Azerbaijan's Sabuhi Amiraslanov 3-0.

92 kg

Iran's Abolfazl Firouzai secured his country's first freestyle wrestling gold medal of the tournament by defeating Russia's Arslan Bagaev 5-2 in the final.

1. Abolfazl Firouzai (Iran)

2. Arslan Bagaev (Russia)

3. Anar Jafarli (Azerbaijan) and Sandro Kurashvili (Georgia)

In the bronze medal matches, Jafarli dominated Italy's Gabriele Niccolini 10-0, while Kurashvili earned a 6-4 victory over Turkey's Fatih Altunbas.

125 kg

In the heaviest weight category, Iran's Abolfazl Nejad claimed the world title with an impressive 10-0 victory over Georgia's Aleksandre Abramishvili.

1. Abolfazl Nejad (Iran)

2. Aleksandre Abramishvili (Georgia)

3. Khetag Karsanov (Azerbaijan) and Cody Merrill (USA)

Karsanov won his bronze medal match against Russia's Andrey Bestaev after his opponent sustained an injury, while Merrill defeated Hungary's Milan Gellen 10-0 to claim the other bronze medal.

Team Standings After the First Five Finals

Following the first five medal finals, Iran leads the team standings with 95 points. Russia occupies second place with 84 points, while the United States completes the top three.

1. Iran — 95 points

2. Russia — 84

3. USA — 66

4. Turkey — 46

5. Georgia — 45

8. Armenia — 23 points.

Armenia Still Has Three More Bronze Medal Opportunities

On October 18, the final day of the freestyle wrestling competition, world champions will be determined in the remaining five weight categories. The final session is scheduled to begin at 23:00 Moscow time (00:00 on October 19 in Yerevan).

Final matchups:

• 57 kg: Bekir Keser (Turkey) vs. Merei Bazarbayev (Kazakhstan)

• 65 kg: Akhora Khateri (Iran) vs. Kaiji Ogino (Japan)

• 70 kg: Magomed-Emi Eltemirov (Russia) vs. Ebrahim Elahichouran (Iran)

• 79 kg: Mahdi Yousefihajivar (Iran) vs. Said Saidulov (Russia)

• 97 kg: Mukhamed-Takhir Khaniev (Russia) vs. Justin Rademacher (USA)

Armenian wrestling fans will be particularly focused on Arman Harutyunyan (57 kg), who is set to compete in a bronze medal match.

Two more Armenian wrestlers also remain in contention for podium finishes. Hayk Papikyan (79 kg) and Ruben Grigoryan (97 kg) will continue their campaigns in the repechage rounds. If successful, they will earn the opportunity to compete for bronze medals.

With Sargis Begoyan having already secured Armenia's first freestyle wrestling medal, the national team will be looking to add more podium finishes on the final day of the U23 World Championships.